Adams Family Correspondence, volume 13

Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 15 November 1798 Adams, Abigail Adams, John Quincy

Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams

my dear son Quincy November the 15th 1798

Once more my dear son it is permitted me to address you by Letter. thanks to the Great Giver of every blessing

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I wrote to you previous to my leaving Philadelphia by Thomas Welch the 20 of July, Since which I have not been able to write a single Letter. I left Philadelphia on the 25th of July; on the 8th of August, I reachd my own Habitation—at Quincy; went into my Chamber, and for Eleven Weeks did not leave it; great part of the time. I hourly expected my dissolution—

I took leave of all my Children, and left with Your Father my Blessing for them; Your sister was with me the whole time, which was a very great Satisfaction to me; her filial affection & constant attention afforded me much comfort and relief amidst the distressing desorder which threatned my Life. the season of my journey was the hottest I ever knew; the fatigue proved too great for my constitution, and brought on a Billious dierea which accompanied with an intermitting fever baffeld the skill of my Physicians. I am releived from the former of my complaints, but the fever I cannot get rid of. it hangs upon me, depressing my spirits, and depriving me of my sleep in a manner which I never before experienced. I have hopes that it will wear away as the cold weather approaches.

This dangerous sickness my dear Son has prevented my acknowledging the receit of your many kind Letters which I have received during my sickness—as well as wholy interupted my communication with you. the Letters which I have received and are yet unacknowledged are No 36 May the 4th 37 may 30th, No 35 June 11th, 39 June 22 No 40 June 27th and this day I have received your excellent Letter of july 25 No 41.1 I cannot sufficiently thank you for your punctuality. if Life is spaired me, I shall be constant in my returns, but my opportunities for obtaining intelligence will not be so good as at Phyladelphia. I am obliged tho most reluctantly to relinquish my Journey this winter, and submit to your Fathers going without me. as the session will I trust be short, I am Supported with that hope— the thought of being Seperated at so great a distance in my low state of Health, has contributed to keep me low spirited, but when duty calls—my own happiness has always been with me; but a secondary consideration.

Since I left Philadelphia it has again experienced that desolating pestilence, the yellow fever, which has raged with greater Malignity than at any former period. Brisler and Family fled as I directed when I left them, but four of my domesticks who belonged to the City fell a sacrifice to it.

Many of my acquaintance have been the unhappy victims, amongst the Number the amiable miss Lucy Breck & the Lovely 273 miss Wescot; tho both out of the city Mr Anthony the Elder, a Greater loss Philadelphia could not have sustaind of a private citizen. death who is no distinguisher of Persons or Characters, leveld with the dust, the disorganizer Bache, & the true Friend of his Country, the honest upright Fenno— His son still carries on the paper, treading in the steps of his Father.2 N york has been severely dealt by, with this same fever, which made the city nearly desolate for several months, by the fleeing of the inhabitants, and the destruction of those which remaind in the city. nor has Boston been exempt from this deadly foe—tho it proved less mortal there; thousands of the inhabitants removed into the Country. they are now returning to it—

Our Country with few exceptions, continues to increase in vigor, and to be ready in spirit to meet the Great Nation; despising both their arts and their Charms. from the most remote and distant parts of the union addresses flew in, speaking the same decided language; and approbating the measures persued by our Government. Powder and Ball are the only tribute talkd of for Tallerand. I cannot omit the pleasure of inclosing to you a Character of him drawn by T Paine at the opening of the new Theatre.3 you know his talent for satire. I wish it could be translated into French without loosing any of its point. the compliment to the President is inimitable, but read and judge for yourself—

In several of your late Letters you have mentiond a subject which has been a source of distress to me for a long time. it is hard upon you to have your prudence and oceonomy thus trifled away—by one and an other—

I have written again upon the subject, and expostulated in such terms as must procure an explanation, and replie. I will write you what ever I can collect, but the poor child is unhappy I am sure. he is not at Peace with himself: and his conduct does not meet my wishes. he has an amiable wife, Prudent and discreet, who has every wish and disposition to render Home the most delightfull Spot two lovely Children— I hope my Letters will in time have their effect. I have discharged my duty, I hope faithfully but my dying Bed was embitterd (as I then thought it), with distress for the only Child whose conduct ever gave me pain

I hoped you would e’er this have sent a power to dr Tufts to have taken your property into his Hands— Dr W—h has never said a word respecting it tho I once wrote him upon it, and my Sickness prevented my doing any thing further for you—4

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My Love to mrs Adams to whom I will write. poor Thomas Johnson was very dangerously sick at the same time I was. I think from the nature of his complaints, a spitting of Blood, that he can never be well Nancy is married. I suppose however you get Letters frequently from the Family which give you a circumstantial account of all that concerns them. my Sickness has interupted my intercourse by Letters as formerly— we have had one weding in our Family and it was at this House. Betsy Smith was married to mr Foster—whom I dare say you knew—a worthy young Man in Boston an upholsterer5 my paper only allows me / room to say I am your affectionate

M—

RC and enclosure (Adams Papers); endorsed: “My Mother. 15. Novr: 1798. / 18. April 1799. recd: / 7. May. ansd:.”

In his letter of 27 June, JQA assessed French assertions of a friendly disposition toward the American people in light of France’s recent interactions with other nations (Adams Papers).

Following the death of John Fenno, his son, John Ward Fenno (1778–1802), University of Pennsylvania 1794, assumed control of the Philadelphia Gazette of the United States. He continued the newspaper from 17 Sept. 1798 until May 1800 when financial difficulties forced its sale (Clarence S. Brigham, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690–1820, 2 vols., Worcester, Mass., 1947, 2:913; “Letters of John Fenno and John Ward Fenno, 1779–1800,” ed. John B. Hench, Amer. Antiq. Soc., Procs. , 89:303 [Oct. 1979]).

AA enclosed an extract from the Philadelphia Gazette of the United States, 13 Nov. 1798, which reprinted a 29 Oct. address by Boston printer Thomas Paine celebrating the Boston Federal Street Theatre’s reopening. Paine’s address criticized Talleyrand and applauded JA. About Talleyrand he wrote, “In France, whose motley breed extremes delight, / Who grin like monkeys, or like tygers fight, / Autun’s meek priest, whose conscience knows no qualm, / Except the cravings of an itching palm.” And about JA, Paine declared, “Our guardian ADAMS, rob’d in light divine, / Burst thro’ the clouds which veil’d the impious shrine; / The dagger seiz’d, the felon cords releas’d, / And snatch’d the victim from th’ apostate Priest!” For the fire that destroyed the original theater, see vol. 12:451.

Not found.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Smith married James Hiller Foster on 15 Nov. (vol. 12:263; Boston Columbian Centinel, 17 Nov.).

John Adams to Abigail Adams, 15 November 1798 Adams, John Adams, Abigail

John Adams to Abigail Adams

My Dearest Friend Berlin Nov. 15, 1798

You never recd a Letter from Berlin but with Pleasure: and this I dare say will not be the first.—

From Austins in a lowry Morning We proceeded to Hartford and dined at Bulls. A polite Invitation from the County Court to dine with them was declined, and We came on immediately to Squire Rileys.1 The Coachman thought it would be too hard upon the Horses to go to Wallingford

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I have now read all the News from the Boston Paper of Monday and am more of a Pyrrhonest than I was when I read it parteally at Flaggs.2

We have been highly favoured in the Weather for four days and have done well to get as far as this Place. We have glided along unforeseen unexpected, and have avoided all Noise show, Pomp and Parade. This We could not have done if We had been favoured with the Company of a single Lady.

I want your society, Advice and Assistance however so much that I should be willing to ride but fifteen Miles a day, to obtain it. But alass! I hope You have recd a Letter from me every day for I have written one at least. I have none from your hand nor Mrs Smith nor Louisa.

By this time I hope I may wish Betcy Joy, which I do sincerely. Mr Foster will make her a happy Woman, if it is not her own fault, and She will make him a happy Man, if it is not his.

My Head has been a Nuisance to me ever since I left home. My 80d were laid out for a scourge. What I shall do I know not. I ride and live in pain.

I would give all my Teeth to know whether you slept last night or will sleep to night.

William is very attentive and obliging but like Dr Arbuthnot has his fault a slouch in his Gait, which however I intend to cure.3

Adieu, Morpheus bless you.

J. A

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “Mrs A.”; endorsed: “J A / Berlin Nov’br / 15 1798.”

Seth Austin (1731–1806) was the proprietor of the Austin Tavern in Suffield, Conn., and Roger Riley (ca. 1737–1822) was a saddler who, with the exception of one year, served as town clerk of Berlin, Conn., from 1798 to 1816. His house was used as a hotel, and he hosted social events in its ballroom (Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Settlement of Suffield, Connecticut, Suffield, 1921, p. 175; Edith Austin Moore and William Allen Day, comps., The Descendants of Richard Austin of Charlestown, Massachusetts, repr. Salem, 2002, p. 48; Catharine M. North, History of Berlin, Connecticut, ed. Adolph Burnett Benson, New Haven, 1916, p. 190).

See JA to AA, 12 Nov. 1798, and note 1, above. Pyrrhonism was a Greek school of philosophical skepticism founded by Pyrrho of Elis, which advocated the impossibility of attaining certitude when determining the nature of things (JQA, Diary , 1:408; OED ).

In April 1791 William Smith Shaw severely injured one of his ankles. Once it healed, Shaw walked with a limp, leading JA to reference a remark Jonathan Swift made to Dr. John Arbuthnot: “But really, Brother, you have a sort of shuffle in your gait” (vol. 9:238; Joseph B. Felt, Memorials of William Smith Shaw, Boston, 1852, p. 8–9; Swift to Arbuthnot, 25 July 1714, The Correspondence of Jonathan Swift, D.D., ed. F. Elrington Ball, 6 vols., London, 1910–1914, 2:197).